Mississippi River Levee System

The Mississippi River extends thirty seven hundred miles from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico.  The river is channeled between levees running on both sides of the river for its length; one considered the East bank and the other considered the West bank. Each extends from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico with flood gates (spillways) at various points along the way.  

The Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for the construction and maintenance of the Mississippi River seventy four hundred miles of levees.  The Corps of Engineers is also responsible for opening gates to various spillways. Morganza opened most of its 125 flood gates during the Mississippi River flooding in May 2011.

During the next five days, I will be discussing the animals that are on the levee and how they pose a danger to those living near the levees during this time of flooding. Keep reading my series, “Hungry Animals on the Levee.”